


Internal Monologues of a Southern Five

by littlemissnicole



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: F/M, Female Runner Five, Gen, hella spoilers from s5 m2 onwards, hope y'all like 5am and internal monologues and refreshers from the season, it's got everyone from s5 on, listen I've got a lot of thoughts as 5 and no one who listens to Zr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-05-29 14:34:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15075209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemissnicole/pseuds/littlemissnicole
Summary: I think I'm funny and I've got lots of thoughts about season 5 of Zombies, Run!, so why not write them down?





	1. Episodes 1-3

Runner Five is short, cheerfully from the American South, and if she spoke it would probably be with a thick accent.

But she doesn't- She makes do with an odd, pidgin version of sign language cobbled together from ASL, BSL, and fingerspelling.

She and Sam have been dating since the first fall of Abel; there's a reason she'd broken after she thought she'd killed Sam, under Moonchild's influence, and it wasn't only the guilt she could feel bubbling under her skin like a molotov cocktail.

And she's sick and tired of people trying to not only take her town but also her goddamned _baby_.

Sarah isn't- Sarah's her _niece_. Aunty Five, best at bath time and wearing her out for bed, but Five's a dragon and Abel's people are her hoard- you touch them and you're getting burned. Sigrid has plenty to burn for.

Speaking of burning- Janine's glare at Sam and Maxine’s impressions could melt steel beams at this point, and Five's tongue is starting to hurt from where she's biting it to smother her own laughs.

Maxine laughs, ninja chopping the air and imitating Kytan's boyish exuberance with a high-pitched "Yah! Ninja kick!"

Five sags, a little. She misses Kytan. She misses _Abel_. Living in a camper trailer isn't exactly how she's been used to spending the apocalypse, after all. The runner's dorms might not have been comfortable, and she misses the couch in Sam's comm shack more than she'd admit to him, but anything is better than living in a 14-foot space with 3 other adults, even if one of them is her beau.

Sam hooks his ankle around hers, pulling them slightly closer together in an already-cramped space, imitating Ian Golightly with practically spot-on imitations of his cowardice.

They both stiffen in shock when Janine says the word improvise, and she can see Max's wide eyes across the table. Janine _hates_ improvisation.

They're all desperate for Abel back.

\----

Despite his double-crossing, Five likes Steve. She's from the _American South_ , any person who's got stupid-attractive biceps and a penchant for blowing things up as distractions and plans is bound to grow on her at some point.

It doesn't help that she was there for his confession to Dr. Lobatse- Five's a romantic with a heart the size of the moon, alright, any person willing to burn everything he has to win back his love has her vote.

Janine bitches about her locks, but goddamn, how can you make a key for a lock with _17_ tumblers, Janine? How big would that key _be_?

She's about to pull out her lock-picks whenever Janine asks (Demands) for the bolt cutters, and Five understands, it's not like they have time for Five to pick the lock, but she still looks at her hands so Sam can see her sign _'I wanted to pick the lock_ ,' with a crying motion.

Sam doesn't laugh, but she can hear an amused huff, which is better than the anxious picking he's been prone to since he lost his shack.

Another thing to like about Steve: He understands the _drama_ of things. Always appearing and disappearing. Blowing things up instead of having conversations. Five approves.

She does _not_ , however, approve of running this mission with Steve. She and Janine had this down to a science, for the Lord's sake, and she while she understands why Janine has to hang back, she doesn't have to like it.

But _Jody-Evan-Cameo-Kytan_ sings her blood. Family. _Ours._

Five bites her tongue and puts on the Ex-moor jacket. Canary yellow is _not_ her color, she signs furiously to Sam, as she does every time she's had to wear the fucking thing.

The prison cells are abandoned, the guards heading for Steve's distraction, and Five wants to tear them to the ground. Abel is not a place for _prisons_ \- it's home, and _safe_!

The door crumples like wet paper after a few kicks. Jody is crouched in a corner, but when she sees Five, a smile like a sun crosses her dirty face. "Runner Five? Oh my God! I never thought I’d see you again! You’re alive! Are the others alive?" She babbles, scrambling up to hug Five with a death grip. Five hugs her back as tight as she can, only letting her go to hand her a headset.

Five keeps a hand on Jody's shoulder through her talk with Sam and Janine, cataloging injuries. Jody looks, well, a bit battered and underfed, but nothing life-threatening.

Good. Five already has to stop herself from burning this cell to the ground and taking time to kneecap some guards will only distract from the mission.

They start out from the cell, following the path from the woods out towards the punishment huts. Jody quietly tugs Five in the directions they need to go, her graceful knitter's fingers wrapping completely around Five's wrist.

"Cameo's in here," Jodie hisses, and they kick in the door.

Cameo's face is less like the sun, but Five can see the relief in her eyes, and it only grows when Janine orders them to table the emotions. Never let it be said that Runner 13 is the sentimental type. Five has to take a second, though- there's no way Kytan would know she was alive, but- it still hurts, to think of how he must be feeling. Only a few months after everything stopped falling apart only for _this_?

Cameo says Owen and Nadia are in the labs and Five straightens, tapping a quick _'I'm fine_ ' to Sam. Almost there.

Owen's with Nadia and- Veronica.

Five wants all three of them with her- but there's no way Nadia's going to be able to get the care she needs, and Ronnie...

Five has no idea how to feel about Veronica. She betrayed them all, maybe, and she has no idea where the girl's allegiance lies, except in science, and for now, Sigrid has the upper hand in that.

Five hopes Ronnie will sort herself out soon- there's no telling what lies Van Ark and Sigrid have been planting in her head, or what she believes, she's 15, 16 at _max_. She just- needs some time. Being around Nadia will keep a good head on Ronnie's shoulders.

Five crawls on her belly, pushing herself up into their sight lines. She and Nadia make eye contact as Owen stumbles over himself in shock. Must be rather like seeing a ghost.

Five holds her breath until Nadia has wheeled herself out of the room with a nod, following Veronica to make up a report that will hold no information for Ian Go- _fuckin_ -lightly, asshole extraordinaire.

She bumps fists with Owen as Sam explains the bare-bones of the plan. It's time to go.

They meet back up with Steve, who hands out more of the hideous Exmoor jackets, and immediately get caught by a food thief, who's _strung up_? Who needs to steal food in _Abel_?

Five takes off the second Sam tells her to, going the back way to the armory. All of Sigrid's Loyalists have been _shipped_ to Abel. Home field advantage, bitches.

Steve hands her two semi-automatics, the pistols heavy in her hands. Unbidden, an image of Sarah- the adult, not her niece- flashes, and she almost misses them going over the plan without her- Come on, Five, focus!

Steve asks Owen to belt him across the face with his pistol, and Five winces even as Owen hesitates, but then follows through. It never gets easier to watch, violence.

The guards look- oddly smug, for being outnumbered and outgunned- but she pulls the trigger and- nothing. The gun clicks uselessly in her hand, same as Cameo's and Jodie's. Janine cold-orders a retreat and Five is turning to grab the others even as the order to _run_ comes through their headsets.

Five has run through gunshots and stitches, but nothing hurts more than seeing Paula and Sarah, so soon after hearing that they aren't taking back Abel; escaping, even with some of her people and their baby, is a bitter pill to swallow.

She takes Sarah from Paula while she and Jodie switch clothes, bouncing her lightly and pressing kisses to her tiny head. Still their baby, no zombies or experiments can change that.

Ian drones about how she's a hero and Five- tunes him out, curling around Sarah. Five's no hero. She's just done what had to be done, time after time. It's easy to roll her eyes and fingerspell _bllsht_ at her people, but when Jodie goes, she and Five cling to each other, just a little, she whispers “You _are_ a hero, Five.”

Five nods, weakly, dragging a crooked finger down her face to sign: Sister. Jodie smiles, wetly, and places a kiss on Sarah's brow and takes off running.   
\---

He's threatening her people. Ian Golightly, a bullshit reporter, and a power-mad _underling_ to a dictator is threatening her people! If she wasn't carrying Sarah- _oh_ , the things she would do to him.

Cameo and Owen leave with Jodie, providing cover for her and her pillow. Five's heart stops twice within a few minutes, leaving her leaning against a wall; once, when the explosion hits, and whenever Tom yells " _Miss Marsh_ ," potentially both saving Jodie from certain death but also blowing their cover.

There's no time to do anything but run. She adjusts Sarah in her arms and _goes_.

They're not spotted until they're almost at the fence, gunshots bouncing out of the dirt and pinging off of the fence. More smoke grenades go off, and Five hooks her shirt over her nose.

Tom's voice comes out of the smoke, taunting Ian's dumb ass.

"If he’s in his right mind, that cage could never have held him," Janine says as if that's not terrifying, but listen, crazy or not, if Tom is on their side Five will trust him.

Still not going to hand Sarah to him, she completely agrees with Paula, but she'll trust having him at her back. Five passes Sarah to Paula through the fence.

"Paula, you’re at the break in the fence now. Just keep heading straight, I’ll come and find you," Sam says, already moving.

Tom grabs Five by the bicep, stalling her as they start out, feet dragging in the dirt. It's not a tight grip, but she was preparing to sprint, and she almost eats it. "Paula, if you could give me your headset. Five, you need to come with me. Before we leave, you need to see what’s going on in the woods."  
  
"I don’t know if that’s a good idea," Janine says, hesitantly, but Five is already eyeing the woods with distrust, nodding to show Paula that she needs to go.

‘ _Show me_ ,' she starts to sign, but then realizes Tom doesn't speak her odd version of ABSL.

Tom tugs on her arm to get her attention. "There are very bad things in the woods, Five. You have to see it for yourself. Please, come with me! We’ll be quick. Run!"

Five doesn't stop to argue, just goes, following Tom's form through the dark woods.

Tom and Janine need to have a capital T Talk, it seems, going by their interactions as he and Five make their way through the woods. Five can feel exhaustion nipping at her heels, but she needs to see this.

"You need to get your people out of here, but you can't take them all."

' _I know,_ " Five stresses, gritting her teeth, ' _But that doesn't mean I have to like it,_ ' but Tom's not talking to her, not really.

"Mister Yao has made the rendezvous with Doctor Cohen," Janine informs them both, and Five feels some of the tension go out of her spine. "And I don't leave people behind anymore, Tom."

' _And I never did, to begin with_ ,' Five signs. She doesn't know if Janine is watching her hands through her headset, or if she can even see in the darkness of the forest, but it makes Five feel better.

Tom laughs bitterly. "Sometimes you have to. Have you thought about who's staying?"

' _Every day,_ ' Five signs. The jumble of _Molly-Jack-Eugene_ doesn't go away- Jack and Eugene aren't in Abel, they're still tucked safely away in their house on an island that is close to France but still technically Britain, but they're gone.

"Ian's regrouping. It won't be long until he's after you," Janine reports, and Five hears the unspoken  _run_ as well as Tom does, and they pick up the pace.

Dr. Lobatse spots them before Five sees her, calling out to them. Five runs up, clasping hands with the Doctor as she tells them that the huts are locked and empty.

"That's what you think," Tom says, grimly, before breaking down one of the doors.

Cryogenic freezers. There are _cryogenic freezers._ One of them has a girl guide inside.

"Sigrid told Veronica to restart Van Ark's research," someone says. It's hard to tell who over the roaring in her ears.

"That’s it. Golightly’s gathering his forces. Doctor Lobatse, leave with Runner Five now. We’ll get you out of Abel, keep you safe!" Janine demands, almost pleading.

"No." Dr. Lobatse says, straightening her spine.

' _Please_ ,' Five signs, as Janine tries to reason with her. ' _Come with us._ '

"They need a doctor more than ever, now," Kefilwe says, tiredly. This war has taken so much. Sleep is forever the first casualty. "I'm staying."

"Fine," Janine says, but she sounds less happy about it than 5 feels, and Five feels terrible about it. "Tom, show Runner 5 to the gates. Quickly now! They're after you, Five."

Five takes a second, just one, to clasp hands with Kefilwe again. Then she signs, _'They're always after me,_ ' and follows Tom back the way they came.

Has Five mentioned how much she hates being shot at? She really just. Does not appreciate it, Y'all.   
  
She appreciates everyone staying even less, but she understands. Their allies still Abel are going to need people they trust, and Kytan might be 16 but he's still so young- if it wasn't going to be her head, Five would've been staying herself.

She needs to find Jody- and find a way to keep Tom out of his own cell.

Scratch finding Jody, because Five is not letting her out of her sight until they get back to base. "Tom, you’re not staying here." Oh good, someone who sees her side.

Tom curls in on himself, hunching his shoulders slightly. "It’s alright. Ian won’t kill me. He knows I still have some useful things inside my broken noggin." He taps his forehead with a finger, huffing out a sardonic laugh.

"Isn’t that a reason to get you out?" Jody asks, gently.

He hunches further in on himself, crossing his hands over his chest. "I can’t… I can’t promise I’ll always be able to control myself."

"We’ll look after you! You saved my life, Tom," Jody pleads. Five curls her fingers in towards her chest, asking in her own way.

"There they are!" Ian shouts, and they all start. They can hear Steve shouting about the smoke grenades he himself probably planted, and the three of them turn to run, taking advantage of the cover that's been provided when Ian calls out: "If you leave now, Five, I’ll take it out on the skins of everyone you’ve left behind. Don’t think I won’t."

Five stops cold, ice water pouring down her spine. She can hear it in his voice- Ian is not joking.

Jody catches her arm, pulling her towards the fence. They have to _go_.

They run as fast and far as they can, putting some distance between them and Ian's forces, but when Janine calls their names it's like a benediction. A reason to stop.

She and Jody both smother a cough into their elbows- those smoke bombs are no joke, Jesus. "You alright, Tom?"

"I think so, I think -" He coughs. "I think… it was like this in Kabul, wasn’t it, Jane? Wasn’t it?" He turns to Janine desperately, like she has all the answers for his fracturing mind.

Janine presses her lips together. "It was. You’re not imagining it. It was just like this in Kabul. They used smoke bombs there, too." She turns to Jody, saying quietly, "Miss Marsh, if we take my brother with us now, we may have to… deal with him later. We don’t have the facilities to hold him."

Jody bounces slightly with nerves. "I understand, but he saved my life, and we’re here now!" Five puts a hand on her shoulder to get her attention as Steve jogs up to talk to Janine.

" _There will be time later_ ," She says, _"If he can pull himself together enough now to free himself unnoticed, he can do it again,_ after _we've found some medications to keep him that way."_

Jody nods, but her eyes look suspiciously wet.

Five is halfway paying attention to Steve- it's a foolish move to leave her to guard down, so her face softens even further when she hears him ask to inform even just Dr. Lobatse.

"No, Mister Sissay, you may not." Janine's brisk tone makes her runners look up at her. "Every additional person who knows your secret puts each one of us at risk. Too many people have learned the truth this evening." Janine's voice softens. "And as you well know, it would put her at risk, too. She’s safer if she doesn’t know. She might not be able to hide it if she did. You’re both safer if she hates you."

Steve clears his throat, steadfastly looking anywhere but at the Abel loyalists. "Yes, ma'am. I understand."

"Count to twenty, Mister Sissay, and then report that you’ve seen us running. Come along, Five, Four, Tom."

"Three, two, one!" Tom counts, clearly losing his grip on his- togetherness.

They start jogging as Steve shouts, "Over here! I’ve seen them. They’re heading west!" He lies, as they start eastward.

They jog for maybe- half an hour? Three quarters? Before Five hears Sam call out- "Hey, hey, Five! I see you! This way! I’ll flash the headlights."

Five changes course before Sam even gets the chance, barreling straight into Sam's chest and staying there. Sam's two meters tall and stands a full head above Five, making her attempt to burrow into his ribcage more successful.

"Hey there, Five," he says, fondly. "You had me worried there for a minute, yeah?" Above her head, he says, "Okay, everyone, into the truck. We’ll head off." He takes a second to press a kiss to Five's forehead, and then they climb into the truck, Sam driving with Janine in the passenger, and the two runners plus Tom in the back. "Some of the other runners have also managed to get out in the confusion," Sam reports. "Runner Two is out, and Runners Nine, Twenty-one, and Seventeen are on their way. So, we’ll all rendezvous further from Abel." His eyebrows drop in confusion. "Oh, hang on, Owen’s still got his transmitter on in his pocket. Listen."

Golightly's voice bursts out of the speaker, slightly tinny but no less violent. "You! It was you! You let them escape, Steven!" Five flinches and tries to tune out the meaty thuds of flesh-on-flesh, tightening her grip on Sam's hoodie shoulder, over the top of his seat.

Sam responds in kind around the steering wheel, their hands matching white knuckles. "God, people do really get promoted to the level of their incompetence, don’t they? Ian was so nice before he started running Abel. I mean, dim, but nice."

"We’ll be back," Janine says firmly. "Abel Township isn’t just our home. The laboratories under there contain enough information to prove to the world that the Minister was the one who started the apocalypse. We must take Abel back. We must stop the Minister from getting into those labs. My security might not be enough to hold her."

"And we must find a way to keep ourselves alive while being hunted by the most powerful woman in Britain! She’ll be looking for us any way she can. She’ll monitor our comms, she’ll send out search parties, she’ll set traps for us. And we have to outwit her step by step. Time's up on our communications. Drive us away from here, Mister Yao, but remember: we’re radio silent now."

" _I'm always radio silent_ ," Five signs to Jody, aiming for an adrenaline-letdown fueled giggle fit.

She gets it.

_David-Roman-Steph-Jody,_ sings her blood. _Tom-Sam-Janine-Paula-Sara-Maxine_.

Not a total loss, today.


	2. 4-6

Five was warned that she was going to start with gunshots and barely flinches when the first shot whizzes past her head. Being shot at is old _hat_ at this point. She's more irritated that she's in an Exmoor jacket _again_. She's in agreement with Sam, pissing off the Militia by using them to start a war with Sigrid is _hardly_ the way to earn allies.  
  


"Well done, Runner Five. You’ve got their attention."  
  


"If," Sam starts, unhappily, "by “got their attention,” Janine means got Sigrid’s heavily-armed soldiers to shoot a lot of bullets very close to your head, then yes. You’ve definitely “got their attention.”  
  


Five double taps on her mic, smiling. Sam is always against plans that _purposefully_  got her shot at, rightfully, but it's nice to hear that he worries.  
  


"Runner Five, please ensure that the purloined Exmoor Militia jacket we gave you is visible at all times," Janine instructs when Five ducks behind a dumpster.

  
"Because the Exmoor Militia won’t be at all annoyed when they find out we’re pretending to be them," Sam argues, not for the first time.

  
Janine goes over the beginning of the plan again; make it look like Five blew up the Minister's fuel supply, the soldiers- “ _Heavily armed_  soldiers," Sam points out, still annoyed- chase Five down, leaving the fuel unguarded for them to steal. Simple.

  
"You have two crucial tasks, Five," Janine reminds her. "Firstly, maintain your disguise as a member of the Exmoor Militia. Secondly, ensure that the soldiers continue their pursuit of you. You must not draw too far ahead. Our people need enough time to take that fuel."

  
"Basically, keep _running_ , Five,"

  
"Not too quickly!" Janine exclaims.

  
"But fast enough." Sam pleads. "Run!"

-

"Over here, Five!" Peter says, waving to catch her attention. "Oh, that Exmoor Militia jacket suits you much better than me, I must say. I’m a winter, you know." Five bares her teeth in an approximation of a snarl, flipping Peter the bird. 

  
"Okay," Sam's voice cuts in, purposefully stopping any conversation. "Um, Peter. Uh, we’re trusting you with this mission because-" Five rolls her eyes, taking a walk while she can, but they hear movement in the brush about a hundred feet back and pick up the pace, ignoring Sam try and dance around the point Peter makes without hesitation.

  
Sam stutters around his shock. "Uh, well, now Janine didn’t say that-"

  
"I know how she thinks." Five raises an eyebrow. "It’s alright, you know. I don’t expect any of you to trust me instantly. Five, we’ll lead them to chase through those sewage works, and then to New Canton, right?"

  
"That’s the plan," Sam confirms but continues to bitch about the tech at Noah Base. Five is iffy about Noah- it feels _familiar_ , in a way she can't put her fingers on. Familiar like Peter is familiar.

  
"It won’t work at all if we can’t keep our generators going." Peter points out pragmatically. "Actually- why are we stealing fuel from Sigrid? Wouldn’t a petrol station be easier?" Five shrugs. She doesn't know anything about gas.

  
"Well, because–" Paper rustles. Sam's probably already made a mess of the desk in his new comms station. "Because-" He sighs, and reads off, word-for-word, what Janine has printed out on the mission statement, which talks about _why_  they're robbing the minister, but also points out how they could spin this to their advantage in the court of public opinion.

  
"That’s Janine," Peter says fondly. "Never hit a single bird with a single stone."  
  


It's not like Five disagrees, he's got a point, but Five knows that from spending several _years_ with Janine, not just- a handful of hours. "And look, she’s arranged a nice holiday for us at a sewage works. It’s like she knows what I like: the stink of effluent, the sound of bubbling manure…" He pauses, covering his nose. "Oh yeah, and about two dozen poo-smeared zombies."

  
"Ugh," Sam groans. "Quick, slip between the sludge tank and that industrial effluent inflow pipe." Five's shoulder's slump. She doesn't want to do this.

  
"You say the most romantic things," Peter snarks but starts jogging for the large pipe.

  
"Ugh, those zoms are dripping! Don’t let them touch you. I mean, don’t let them touch you because they’re zoms, but also because they must smell really really terrible."

  
Five almost signs a joke about Sam not wanting to shower with her, but the smell hits her and she drops it. Time and a place, and after running a sewer are not one of them.

  
Gunshots sound off behind them, and two of the zombies' jerk as they're clipped by bullets from Sigrid's men.

  
Peter shrugs, ducking his head so he's not getting... _it_  in his hair. "Still, looks like they’re serving their purpose: slowing down Sigrid’s troops, but not putting them off completely."

  
"Just make sure those zoms don’t take a chunk out of you before you get to New Canton." Sam frets. "Run!"

-

Sigrid's men and their guns follow them up the pipe and to Fort Canton's gates.

  
Peter looks around with wide eyes as they wait in line to get in. "Blimey, New Canton’s changed since I was last here," he says.

  
"When were you last here?" Sam asks, and Five tilts her head in curiosity, scuffing her feet purposefully against the gravel to get as much of the shit off as possible. She's glad she picked up a new set of tennis shoes the other day, these are probably a wash.

  
"Oh, you know. A while ago," Peter says, noncommittally, walking forward. "When did it get so shady-looking? And when did it get armed guards at the gates?"

  
"Weapons, please," The guard demands, hand out.

  
"We don’t have any, but I’ll accept a pat down just for shits and giggles." Five opens her hands wide, showing that she's also weaponless, but her shoulders are shaking with silent laughter as the guard pats them down.

  
Sam points out that this will work to their advantage because Sigrid's soldiers won't have weapons either.

  
"I suppose that would be nice," Peter grumbles. The guard straightens. "Didn’t find anything there, mate?"

  
The guard sighs tiredly. "Welcome to Fort Canton, the last neutral territory in the east," She rattles off, and waves up at the gate controllers.

  
Fort Canton's gate is a proper old school castle gate and takes a minute to drop, but when it does Sam is immediately urging them to move, because he can see Sigrid's people in the cams.

  
"Since when is New Canton “neutral territory”?" Peter asks as they head into the markets proper, and then his voice just grows more incredulous."And since when does it have this Neverwhere market vibe?!" Five grins. She'd never thought of it that way, but it fits. The chaos and wildness of it all, the constant bartering of things and favors.

  
"There was a coup against the Permanent Advisory Council. New Canton’s set up as a meeting ground-cum-black market."

  
"Ooh, like Casablanca!" Five tilts her head in confusion.

  
"I was going to say the Mos Eisley Cantina, but yeah, same diff," Five nods in understanding. "Alright, all my old maps are out of date, but it can't have changed that much in a few weeks-" Sam starts on a tangent that Five tunes out, focusing more on looking around and finding escape routes.

  
"Ah, yeah. Okay," Sam sounds more on-deck now. Five straightens up from her slouch. "Uh, cross that courtyard up ahead, the one that used to be the netball courts, and now looks like a livestock market?" A rooster crows in victory, and Five sees supplies change hands. "No, hang on. Oh, it’s a cockfighting ring. What is wrong with some people?" Sam says, and Five shakes her head in mock-disappointment, heading that direction.

  
A chicken squawks from under her feet, and Five stumbles, nearly braining herself on the bookie's table before she catches herself.

  
"Don’t tread on that chicken, Five," Peter warns, "It’s got a very mean face." Five looks down at it. It _does_.

  
"It really has," Sam chips in. "Sort of reminds me of Mildred Van der Graaf." Five signs 'R-I-P' just to make Sam laugh, still dancing around a multitude of birds.

  
"There they are," Five hears, head snapping up to see Sigrid's guard's pointing in their direction. She starts speed walking in the opposite direction, dragging Peter with her. "Get them!"

  
"Well, looks like we’ve been spotted, which is good, but also bad," Peter says, picking up the pace now that he knows what's happening.

  
"Run!" Sam commands, and they break into a sprint.

—

 "How’s it going, Sam?" Peter pants, ducking in between two stalls selling junk. 

  
"Janine’s running the op back at the fuel dump. They’ve only siphoned off about a third of it so far, so you’ll need to keep those soldiers distracted for a while longer." Five throws her head back but focuses again when she almost gets taken out by a goat. "Okay, uh, just checking route options. Uh, you see that door to your left?"

  
"There’s no door, there’s only a stall selling… novelty teapots." Five face palms, looking around at the ridiculous things. "Who on earth wants a novelty teapot these days?"

  
"Quite a lot of people, apparently," Sam sighs, disappointed. "Uh, well, the door’s got to be behind the stall. Um, try going to the back."

  
"Ooh, I see your eyes are drawn to that rather lovely Snoopy teapot," The lady who runs the stall says, eager to make a sale. Five and Peter completely ignore her, and Peter moves the teapot completely out of the way. "Wait, what are you doing?" She asks, alarmed.  
  


"I can’t see anything," Peter grumbles, annoyed. "All this junk is in the way."  
  


He shoves the shelf full of teapots forward, sending a cascade of novelty teapots to shatter on the floor.   
  


"What have you done to my teapots?" The shopkeep cries, dismayed.   
  


"Uh, yes. Sorry. Uh, here." He digs through his pockets, holding out whatever he finds. "Have three batteries to say sorry?" The woman snatches the batteries from his hand and stalks off, muttering angrily under her breath.   
  


"Got it. There’s a hinge, see, Five? The door must be behind this poster of Marge Simpson." It's a large poster, but Five can see, just barely, the hinges to a door. She grabs a corner and pulls. Paper rips and Peter creaks open the door.  
  


"Come on, Five. Through here–" And then he slips and lands on his ass. Five steps down much more carefully, bracing herself against the door to give him a hand up. "So slippy, I can hardly stay standing. Here, Five, grab my arm. Might give us a bit more balance." Five was a server in the before, standing- and running- on the wet tile is muscle memory at this point.   
  


Sam says it's an old refrigeration unit, to Peter's displeasure, and that Sigrid's men are at the teapot stall now, so they need to hurry to make their rendezvous with Jody by the old armory.   
  


"We’re _tr_ _ying_ ,” Peter complains, but hooks elbows with Five, starting towards the exit at the other end of the room. "Come on, Five. First one to fall over’s a rotten egg."  
  


"You've already fallen," Five points out, just to be a little shit. Peter returns that bird she'd flipped him earlier. 

———

Jody waves at them, getting their attention from where she's leaning against the wall of the armory, which is- Five doesn't even know what it is now. "Guys! Guys, over here."  
  


"Jody," Peter sighs. "You’re a sight for sore eyes." Five raises her eyebrows, looking over at Peter and then Jody, asking a silent question.   
  


"Uh, yeah?" Jody asks. "Look, I’ve got guns and ammo."   
  


When Peter looks down to take inventory, Jody makes eye contact with Five and shakes her head. Five shrugs. Something isn't adding up with Peter, and the more time they spend with him the more obvious it becomes, but Jody gets them back on track. "Seriously, you don’t know what I went through to get here, Five, and I hope you never find out. There are some things people aren’t meant to see."   
  


Five is about to ask- Jody's more squeamish than Five, but not by a whole lot, and anything she deems "not meant for people to see" is enough to worry, but is interrupted when an intercom, hidden above them, squeals.  
  


"Here they are! Exmoor Militia, the Minister said we had a deal. When we have a vaccine, you get a vaccine. Why are you turning against us? Surrender now, and we’ll be merciful." Five is shaking her head, snatching the gun and ammo from Jody's hands.   
  


"Uh, yeah. I don’t think their mercy is much to be relied on." Peter says, cocking his gun with a grim set to his face.   
  


Five ducks in sync with the crowd around them as more gunshots come from further up the thoroughfare, screams ringing out from the civilians a little distance away.   
  


"I thought you said they weren’t armed?!" Jody shouts, alarmed.   
  


"They _weren’t_!” Peter insists. "Look, someone’s handing guns to them. Looks like they had the same idea we had."  
  


They bicker about the plan back and forth, and when Sam says that Janine's plan includes them running into the crowd, Peter throws a hand in front of her and Jody.   
  


"No! No more collateral damage. Teapots are one thing, but I don’t put other people at risk anymore. Jody, take us back the way you came in." ‘ _Anymore? He was a_ carnie,’ Five signs to Sam.  
  


Jody's shaking her head in fear. "Oh no. I’m not going back in there,"   
  


Shouts are coming from up and down the plaza, now. They don't have a lot of time.   
  


"No choice. Get out of there, now!"

-

"Okay, you’re nearly at the New Canton perimeter, guys. It’s just through that gate, and then across a couple of fields. But Sigrid’s people are close behind. You really do need to get moving."   
  


"Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God!" Jody gasps, nearly hyperventilating. The closer they get to the gate, the faster her breathing gets, but Five can't give that the attention she needs. They reach it, and Jody just- stops.   
  


"You better open that gate, Five. I think Jody’s gone catatonic." Five opens the gate just a little, peering around it and into the field beyond. Peter looks over her shoulder. Five's expecting flayed zoms, or kids, or _kid zoms_  or- she doesn't even know what, but the field's empty.  
  


"Oh, the field’s clear," Peter says, surprised. "Whatever you saw before is gone, Jody. There’s nothing here. Safe run home for us." He assures her, patting her on the shoulder.   
  


Jody explodes into movement, pushing past them to gesture at the far side of the pasture. "What do you mean, nothing? Look over there! Look at them!"   
  


Five looks. It's a clump of alpacas, bundled together in one corner of the field. The largest looks like it would barely bump her shoulders. Five coos.   
  


"Look at the alpacas?" Peter asks, confused. Five closes the gates behind them before the pack gets any ideas about escaping.   
  


"Aw, don’t say that word!" Jody whines.   
  


"What, alpacas?"  
  


"What’s wrong with _Alpacas_?"  
  


"Stop saying it! My mom took me to a city farm once, and they-" She shivers in fear. "Oh, no, I can’t even talk about it."   
  


"Are you sure you're not thinking about llamas?" Five asks. "Because they look similar but llamas are bigger. And assholes. One of the farmers back home had a llama that got out every week and spat on _everyone_.”  
  


"And they’re adorable!" Peter adds, throwing a hand out towards them. They're starting to wander over, thinking the three of them have food. "They’ve got that little mop of hair over their eyes, and long wobbly legs and they look like they’re smiling! Oh, you should like them, Jody. Their coats make the best wool."   
  


"How do you know I like knitting?"   
  


"I... didn’t. It was just a general observation. Everyone knows alpaca wool is the best."

  
"I didn’t," Sam points out. Five did, but that's because she knits too- she's not fond of alpaca though, it stretches too much.  
  


"Well, yeah, but you’d know it if you had the Demons and Darkness knitting expansion pack."   
  


"Does Demon and Darkness even _have_  a knitting expansion pack?" Five asks, not expecting an answer.  
  


"Right," Sam starts, suddenly determined. "How do you know so much about us, Peter?" He asks, right out.   
  


“I developed amazing telepathic powers while working at the circus?” Peter tries, shoulders coming up around his ears.   
  


“I’m serious.”  
  


Peter sighs irritably. “Look. There’s no big mystery. That radio propaganda piece about you was quite detailed. Although Sam, I’m pretty sure you didn’t explode the ice cream tower for the kicks.”  
  


“What…” Sam sighs, but cuts himself off. Five can almost _see_ him shaking his head. “Never mind. I just got a message through. The other team’s finished with the fuel extraction. Runners Two, Seventeen, and Twenty-one are heading back to Noah. I think Eric’s particularly pleased he’ll be able to hook up an arc light to work on his… his whittling?”  
  


“Does that mean we can shake the soldiers now, and get away from the-“ Jody skitters to one side, further away from the alpacas currently contentedly nibbling on Peter and Five’s shirts. “-you know, the a-word?”  
  


“Over there!” Comes a shout from behind them, and they all whip around to see Sigrid’s guards, plus some from Fort Canton, behind the gate, about to pull it open. They succeed.   
  


Gunshots narrowly miss the group of them, startling the alpacas into fleeing.  
  


“Well, we can try,” Peter offers, not sounding sure.   
  


Sam breaks in, detailing his plan- there’s a break in the fence, and within walking distance of it, an Exmoor camp. They go.   
  


\----

They pass through the very outskirts of the camp, keeping the soldier’s attention while _trying_ to avoid the attention of the militia, and also keep any innocents from getting shot. They _almost_ succeed- the only causality is one very pissed off sounding goat- but the shooting from Fort Canton is enough to start shooting from the Militia.  
  


“That’s great, guys! The Exmoor Militia and Sigrid’s soldiers are really going for each other. Now, I don’t want to brag, but I think that was one of my better plans.”  
  


“It was brilliant, Sam. Only it has kind of left us in the middle of a massive firefight.” They’re not in the _middle_ of it, not anymore- sort of, they’re nearing the far end of the camp now, almost clear.  
  


Peter shouts from behind Five, and she slows down to let him catch up. He’s clutching at one side, but still going smoothly.   
  


“What happened?” Sam asks, frantically, “Are you shot?”  
  


“Fine! It’s only a flesh wound.” Peter says, voice tight with pain.  
  


“It doesn’t look like a flesh wound,” Jody says, worriedly, and Five nods. It’s certainly not a _mortal_  wound, by any means, but the bullet looked like it took a good chunk of flesh out of Peter’s ribcage.  
  


He relinquishes his hold on his side as they enter the woods. “See? Barely a scratch.” Peter says, falsely light. “But we’ve got to get out of here.” It’s _not_  a scratch, but it’s certainly not as bad as Five was thinking, either- but she could have sworn-  
  


“That road between those two low hills. If you run down it, you should be shielded from both sides.” Sam’s voice is low and serious, close friend or not, (at least, not yet,) Peter was still one of Sam’s runners, and he hated _any_  of them getting injured.  
  


Jody takes the point, gesturing for them to follow. “Come on! I hate being shot at! I think I’d rather be eaten by zombies.”  
  


“No, you wouldn’t,” Sam says, quietly. Five double taps her mic, unable to do more to comfort him.   
  


“Yeah. No, sorry,” Jody says, just as quietly. “Still, I’d rather be chased by zombies! You know where you are with a zombie.” She says, loudly, probably trying to keep their spirits up.   
  


“What about alpacas?” Peter teases, wincing as he stumbles over an uneven patch of asphalt.   
  


“Stop saying that word!” She shrieks back, still genuinely distressed. Five waves a placating hand.   
  


“There are _no more alpacas_ , Jody, please calm down.” Five practically begs.  
  


“You’re through,” Sam says a few minutes later after the sound of the firefight has dulled to near-silence when they’re still a few minutes out from the pickup rendezvous. “Great job, guys.”  
  


“The Exmoor Militia won’t know it was us, will they? Are we not making enemies by running around in their jackets?” Jody asks. Five nods furiously. They _are_ making enemies, but the only one listening to her is _Sam._  
  


“Oh, I think you’ve got bigger enemies than that to worry about,” Peter says, lightly, still clutching his side. Five’s going to wrap his side as _soon_ as they get someplace to stop _._ “I heard the news around Fort Canton. Sigrid’s put a bounty on your heads.”  
  


Five stumbles to a stop, almost falling face-first into the cliffs bordering them. “ _What?_ ” She manages to get out aloud, almost loud enough to count as a real word. Peter stutters to a stop next in front of her, joining the Abel runners in their stunned silence. 

  
“I- Heard some people talking, in the marketplace-“ He says, “While we were blending in. “Every Abel loyalist has a bounty now, but none so high as yours and Paula’s, Five, except maybe Sarah’s-“  
  


“Okay, yeah- Save this for when you’re back at Noah, Peter, just- Get home, please.” Sam pleads. Five heads for the cars in a daze. 


	3. 7&8

The day is gorgeous, a nice breeze, actual sunlight, the seabirds calling. Five takes a breath, enjoying the sea air. 

  
Sarah coos from her place on her chest, tiny fists waving in the air. Five lets her grab onto one of the Runner's fingers, bringing it up to press a kiss to her hand.

  
Maxine cuts in on the headsets, coughing. She sounds terrible. "Hey, how are you doing, honey?"

  
"Oh, you know," Paula replies, hitching Sarah's diaper bag higher up on her shoulder. "Zombie physiology accelerated healing. I’m fine. And Sara’s fine. She’s enjoying the sea air. Good for her to get some actual daylight on her face."

  
Sam coughs. "Um, you sure she hasn’t caught this horrible flu? No little red spots on her cheeks? Apart from that little spot where she caught herself with her fingernail the other week." Five looks down, running a finger along the paper-thin cut on Sarah's cheek. She double taps on her mic.

  
"She’s fine, Sam," Peter confirms. "The baby’s fine. Paula’s fine, Five is fine, Tom is…"

  
Tom is staring intently at the sea. "I see the ocean. There are fish under the ocean. The dead are there. They lie waiting for us."

  
Five winces, cupping the back of Sarah's head. Peter sighs. "Well, Tom’s the same as ever: able to run and not trying to kill any of us, so that’s good."

  
"And you know Janine said at the first sign of trouble…" Maxine says, in between coughing fits.

  
"We know! At the first sign of trouble, shoot Tom in the head. I think that’s just how she says “hello”, you know. “Good morning, Janine!” I say. “At the first sign of trouble, shoot Tom in the head,” she says," Peter says, nattering on.

  
"We found him some mood stabilizers," Paula says reassuringly. "He’s been basically fine for ages, and occasionally better than fine."

  
"You should be getting close to those ships now," Maxine cuts in. "The message Ed sent us from the island said that some of the Comansys fleets had beached just along the way."

  
Paula nods. "Yeah, we can see them now."

  
Tom pauses, perking up. "Oh. That’s a 160-meter German cruise liner. I’d guess it was rebuilt around 2005. Probably 350 cabins. A good place to start looking for a berth for the next few nights, chaps." 

Max sighs. "I wish you didn’t have to spend the night away. We had an agreement," She says sternly.

  
"I miss you too, baby. It’ll just be another two or three nights. Just until you’re not infectious anymore. We can’t risk Sara getting ill. We’d have no way to treat her." Five runs a hand over Sarah's head.   
  


"And now Sigrid’s offering a bounty for bringing Sara to her alive, all the pediatrics departments in a fifty-mile radius are staked out." He points out, unhappily. His voice softens. "Spending a few nights on one of those beached ships really is the best idea."

  
Tom's nearly bouncing. "Come on, down to the beach, hurry! First one there gets the captain’s suite!" He takes off at a brisk pace, gesturing for them to follow. "Come along, spit spot!"

  
"Well, that’s not going to get irritating at all," Peter says, watching Tom go. "Come on, Five. Let’s see if we can get there ahead of him."

  
Five looks down at Sarah, snugly ensconced in her koala carrier, and then back at Peter, squinting.

-

The ship is... hollow. There's no furniture, or walls, or anything just... empty space full of equipment. "Fascinating," Tom says, wandering ahead. "Utterly fascinating."

  
"What are you seeing, guys?" Sam asks. Paula tells him, eyes trailing along the equipment for anything useful they could bring back to Noah. Five eyes the mini subs with distrust. She doesn't know how they're going to get all the zombs out of the ocean. 

Tom is lingering at the front of the ship, peering at the helm. "The radio equipment here is connected to the steering," He points out, messing with some of it. 

  
Peter peers at a screen a few feet away. "There are underwater cameras. Look like they’d be used to relay signals back to the – hey, what’s on this label, here?" He squints. "Oh. Oh, right. I know what this is."

  
Paula comes up behind him, looking over his shoulder. "What?"

  
Maxine cuts in on the headsets. "It’s Comansys, isn’t it? I was on that flotilla for months. I never even saw every ship in the fleet. I remember that one, though. They used the mini-subs and the cameras to monitor underwater zombie activity. Move us on if they got too active, cull the herd if they could."

  
"I remember those mini subs from when you were trying to escape from the flotilla," Sam says, and Five shudders, smoothing a hand over Sarah's dark hair. Too many damn zombs in the ocean.

  
"I try not to think about it," Maxine confides. "All those people…"

  
Five crosses her arms under Sarah, feeling the baby kick her joyfully in the arms, but it's undermined by the cold she feels, creeping under her skin.

  
"We know you didn’t mean to do it, Five," Paula says, gently, putting her hand on Five's shoulder. "That wasn’t you."

  
"It wasn't," Five says, slowly, "But I'm still-" She can't make the sign for sorry with Sarah on her chest, but Paula gets her meaning if the way her face softens is any indication.

  
"Yeah, I didn’t mean to blame you. It’s just that I remember all those people, and now they’re-" Her voice breaks.

  
"Dead. Dead! Quite dead," Tom intones.

  
"Cheery as usual there, Tom," Peter says, no-nonsense as usual. Five pulls herself together. "Well, one thing’s for certain, we’re not going to find good bunks here for the next few nights. Come on. There’s a nice-looking yacht beached further down the shore. Let’s get moving. We don’t want to still be looking for somewhere when it gets dark." He claps Five on the shoulder as he passes by, and it- helps. That they can move past it.

-

The yacht is _very_ nice looking, Peter wasn't wrong, and it's got a cabin almost directly below deck, with doors going down a hallway.  
  


"Hmm, this actually looks quite roomy. Comfortable bed," Peter says, sitting on the mattress. The bedsprings creak, but it does look more comfortable than the foam mattresses Five's gotten used to at Noah. "Oh yes, very comfortable!"  
  


Five and Paula are in the middle of swapping out who wears the koala carrier when Sam asks: "How about you, Paula? Is there somewhere for you and the baby to sleep?"  
  


Peter stills, getting up from the mattress. "Oh, uh. You should take this bed, Paula," He offers, heading for the stairs. “I’m sure I can find somewhere else to sleep. Five, what’s down on the lower deck?" Five shrugs, hands full of baby.   
  


"I don't have x-ray vision," She says after she's passed Sarah back to Paula. 

  
Tom stops Peter from wandering too far. "Someone’s been here in the past seventy-two hours," He insists. "Slight smell of stale tobacco. Men’s cologne," He sniffs, and then looks down. "Mud from someone's boots hasn’t quite dried on the gangway."

  
Peter's shoulders slump, looking longingly over the other man's shoulder. "Oh, what are you now, half Doberman Pinscher?" He asks, exasperated.

  
"We should perform a thorough assessment of every level on this ship," Tom says, determined. "Open each door in turn, assess risk." He starts towards one of the other doors in the narrow hallway, cracking it open.

  
Immediately, an alarm goes off, startling them all and making Sarah giggle. God, she is their baby, isn't she?

  
"Well," Peter says, looking around, "you were right about one thing: we did need to perform a thorough assessment of the ship because apparently, you’ve set off some kind of alarm." A camera clicks above them, flashing in the dim light. "And it’s taken our picture!"

 

"What’s happening? What’s the alarm for?" Maxine asks, alarmed.   
  


"It’s broadcasting a signal," Tom determines, "and there’s a radio transmitter attached to it. If you give me an hour, I can trace the signal, find out where it’s transmitting our pictures to." 

  
The groan of zombs from the lower decks pushes Five to hurry Paula up the stairs to the topside, going as quick as they can.

  
Peter's still talking to Tom as they dart after them, and Five lingers at the top of the stairs. 

  
"Everyone, get off that ship," Sam demands. "Run!" His exclamation makes him a cough, but they dart off the ship, Tom pausing to kick the gangplank upright. It won't stop the zombs for long, but it will buy them a little bit of time.

-

Or, less time than Five thought, because the alarm has roused other zombies from around the beach. Five barely has time to snatch Sarah from the carrier before Paula has to take it off.   
  


"I have an idea, but you can't be wearing Sarah while we're doing it," Max insists, strained. Five pulls Sarah close with a grunt, dodging under a low hanging branch.   
  


"Okay Paula, you’ve got that gun Janine gave you?" Maxine asks. Paula pulls it out of its holster, holding it uncertainly. They stop, and Five pulls Sarah's head closer, one hand against the baby's ear and her other ear against Five's chest.  
  


"With the instructions, “If my brother even looks at you funny, shoot him between the eyes”? Yes."   
  


"That might have just been her way of asking you to pass the salt," Peter offers, hovering behind them both.   
  


Maxine takes a deep breath in and out. "Okay. When the zombs are level with the green boat-" She passes on the same advice Eight gave them all, calm and level.   
  


"Wow," Sam laughs, "You sound just like-"  
  


"Runner Eight trained me. She always said a doctor needed to know how to fire a gun. Okay, ready?" Five nods for them, swaying unconsciously from side to side. Sarah yawns in her arms. 

  
The zombies splatter apart before Paula can try. Is Tom throwing- rocks? With deadly accuracy.

  
"Or we could just leave it for Tom to kill the zombs with an expertly-targeted stone between the eyes of each one," She reports. Five sighs, loosening her hold on Sarah to pass her back. "Okay. That’s a bit disturbing. I start to see what Janine meant about shooting him." Five nods vigorously.

  
"There, that’s the last one," Tom says, dusting his hands off. "Now we can go back and find out what that radio transmitter was-"

  
They hear the comms room door open, and Sam starts telling them urgently that they've been exposed. They _have_ to get off this beach.

  
"I have a better idea," Tom offers, looking around them.

  
"Is it really a better idea," Peter asks, "Or is it an idea about how every one of the stones is like a bone spat up by the earth to lie dead upon its surface through all of the time?" He makes his voice purposefully ~spooky~, doing spirit fingers.

  
Tom laughs. "It’s an idea about how we might stop Sigrid looking for us, at least for a good while." He turns to Five. "Five, I’ll need the aerial from that green boat. Go, as quickly as you can! We don’t have much time!" She salutes, taking a deep breath and going as quick as she can.

-

"Alright. That’s good, Five. Have an aerial, have the transmitters, have the mini-subs. Yes, it could work. It could work. Need a battery." He ticks everything off on his fingers, looking around for anything that could have the battery power they need.   
  


"Tom," Janine cuts in, tiredly. "Thomas De Luca, what are you doing?"  
  


"Jane!" Tom acknowledges. "It’s alright, Jane. It’s okay. I’ve got an idea, and it’s going to work. I just need batteries."   
  


"What… what–" Janine cuts off with a coughing fit bad enough to make them all wince.

  
"Janine, you’re not fit to be out of bed. You’re feverish!" Maxine admonishes. "We’ve got this," she pleads.

  
"Doctor Myers, with all due respect, you’re putting my brother in charge of an operation that… an operation…" She loses track of her thought. "This is serious!" She insists.

  
"Come, Janine, you really do sound lousy. You should be in bed." Peter says, cajolingly. 

"Tom says he’s got a way to make Sigrid stop chasing us," Paula explains. 

  
"Nothing will make her stop chasing you, Doctor Cohen, she’s–" She coughs again, her voice strained. "She wants your child, and nothing will stop her until she has baby Sara."

  
"One thing will," Tom says, firmly. "I’m going to do what we did in Guadalajara! Do you remember?"

  
Janine and Tom hash out the details, cryptic as always. Five looks anxiously around, half expecting to see Sigrid's troops any second.

  
"Peter, help Tom prepare that yacht, the purple and white one," Janine orders.

  
"Yes, ma'am," Peter says, eagerly.

  
"Five, an earlier sortie established that there are batteries in that container ship to your right," Five double taps the headset. "Go now and bring them back. Our lives depend on you. Run!"

  
'When do they _not_ ," Five signs as she goes, but no one laughs. It's not as funny as it used to be. If she could be needed without saving the world again, just a runner, not Five still Alive, she'd do it.

-

  
"Are we ready?" Peter asks, looking at all of them.

  
Paula nods. "I’m ready. Sara’s ready," She looks down at Sarah, who's cooing happily from her carrier. "You know, I think she’s taking after her namesake. She seems to actively enjoy danger."

  
"You’ll be visible to the Ministry Jeeps in a minute or two," Sam warns.

  
Tom goes over the plan one more time, running it down. Five paces nervously in the sand, flapping her hands.

  
"I remember that one. They taught the kids to row off the side of it." She sighs. "I thought I would die on that flotilla, you know. I thought I was dead already."

  
"Yeah. I know that feeling," Sam says, quiet. Five nods.

  
"Me too," Paula chimes.

  
"And me!" Peter exclaims. Paula and Five look askance at him. "I… used to pretend to be dead, in the circus! And then return to life."

"We’re all becoming familiar with the sensation of seeming to die and then returning," Janine says.

  
"Oh, it’s all so zombie, isn’t it? Just at the point that it seems life is done with you, no! You’re back for another round," Peter sounds... tired.

  
Sarah coos and Paula smiles down at her, softly. "It’s worth it, for the view. This will be worth it too if we get it right."

  
"I’m monitoring their comms. They’ve spotted you. They know who you are, Paula. They haven’t ID’d any of the rest of you."

  
"It’s time," Tom says, determined. He points in the direction Paula's supposed to run. "Head for the purple and white yacht. Run!"

-

Tom's plan goes _beautifully_ , Sigrid's people following Paula and then the speedboat as it takes off down the coast. "That’s it, she’s away!"

  
"She’s a speedy one," Janine says, impressed.

  
"Faster than you think," Maxine offers. "That purple and white yacht was the pride of the fleet. Souped-up with extra horsepower."

  
"You’ll be out of sight of the shore in a minute or two, and then Sigrid will _attempt_ to track you," Janine reports.

  
"And she will track us," Tom laughs. "She’ll track this very distinctive purple and white yacht all the way down the coast. She’ll be waiting to see where we’re heading before she makes her next move."

  
"And where are we heading?" Peter asks, curiously.

  
"Much nearer home than she thinks. We’re going to use the mini-subs to head back to the coast near Noah Base."

  
"I’m set up an automatic guidance system for this boat. I’ll keep her just in sight of the shore all the way down the coast, all the way into the Exmoor Militia’s heartland."

  
"So Sigrid will think Paula and the baby have escaped to the Exmoor Militia!" Peter grins triumphantly.

  
"Meanwhile, we’ll use the sub to get back home. I don’t think we should try to sleep in any of the other ships on the beach, to be honest."

  
Three adults and a baby in a mini-sub? It'll be a tight squeeze- it was before- but Five grits her teeth.

  
"Yeah, I was thinking about that," Sam offers. He takes a deep breath."Maybe back in the camper van for a night or two?"

  
"After a mini-sub, it’ll feel positively luxurious," Paula says.

  
"This ruse won’t hold forever," Tom warns. "Sigrid will still be looking for us. But if she thinks you’ve taken refuge with the Exmoor Militia, that should buy us some time."

  
"We need to expand the size of our team. She almost had you today."

  
"And she’s trying to turn the whole country against you," Peter says. "I’ve got hold of the rough cut of that radio documentary she’s made, and you won’t believe what happens in scene four."

  
Five almost signs ' _what?_ ' but leaves it be; they'll listen to it soon enough.

\---

They all pile into Sam's comms room a few days later, Janine-Paula-Sam-Max-Sarah-Five-Jodie-Tom-Peter. There's really enough space for them all to spread out if they really wanted to, but... they don't want to.

  
Tom and Janine don't join the cuddle pile, but they do sit closer than they would- but Sam sits in the middle of the couch with Five next to him, her back against the arm of the couch and legs in his lap, Jodie copies her posture, so she can watch Five sign.

  
Paula and Max sit with Sarah between them on the floor, both of their backs against the couch.

  
Peter is leaning against the desk, fiddling with the equipment to get the radio show to play. The eight of them are talking amongst themselves, Sam keeps trying to get up and help but Five and Jody are immovable.

  
Unless it's for wine. Janine let them break out whatever bottles they had since they weren't leaving the base. Stronger liquors tend to be kept for antiseptic, but wine is weak enough to drink instead.

  
"Ah! Got it!" Peter cheers, hitting 'start'.

  
Five grits her teeth as Ian Golightly's voice starts coming from the speakers. "Aw, what," Sam complains, "he gets _pate_ for breakfast?"

  
"Rich people," Five says, shaking her head. Jodie throws back her head and laughs.

  
"You _hate_ pate," Paula points out from behind the rim of her glass as Ian rambles on about calisthenics and pop filters.

  
"Well, yeah, but-" Jodie and Five both hush him as Ian starts back up with his "radio voice", and he slumps back into the couch.

  
"Today, listeners, we have a real treat for you," Five flips him off, taking a deep sip of her wine. "Recently, the Ministry exposed a crew of troublemakers, liars, and thieves, who’d been painting themselves as heroes."

  
"We are heroes!" Maxine insists. Everyone toasts in agreement.

  
"Today, we bring you the true story “behind the zombies” of the personalities and events of the once-beloved settlement that fell so low: Abel Township."

  
"Get fucked," Five says aloud, loud enough for even Tom, a good six feet away, to laugh. Another round of toasting happens.

  
"I wonder how much trouble we could get them in if we released this version," Jodie wonders.

  
"Quite a lot," Paula offers.

  
"They'd never go for it," Peter counters. "They'd say we edited their obviously unedited audio and that we're just trying to slander the Ministry."

  
Five makes a face, but she knows Peter is right. People will believe anything, jump through any hoops if it means they can keep pretending everything is alright.

-

"-We’ve taken eyewitness testimony and our award-winning Ministry drama team have brought key scenes to life, so you’ll all feel like you were really there when these shocking events happened."   
  


"I don't even feel like I was there, and I was!" Maxine says.   
  


"Thanks, it's the trauma," Five jokes. Sam chokes on his wine.   
  


"First, let’s start with one of the deadliest people in the post-apocalypse world-"  
  


"Janine?" The room choruses. Janine flushes.   
  


" _Really,_ " she says, pleased and embarrassed.   
  


"-This is a person who has willingly endangered the lives of thousands, knowing that they were safe from harm-"   
  


"I didn't know they were exposing Sigrid herself."   
  


"-A person who is inexplicably obsessed with one other Abel Township resident. We had hoped that this person was dead, but recent reports indicate that they’re still alive and at large, listeners, so keep a sharp eye out for Sam Yao!"  
  


Peter hits pause on the recording in the dead silence that follows, but Five breaks first, her spluttering laughter making her choke on her wine. The breaks the dam, because the whole room _erupts_ , even Janine.   
  


It takes several _minutes_ for the room to settle, and almost everyone has tears in their eyes, Sam included. Peter stands on wobbly legs, still chuckling, and Five and Jody are still giggling, but he hits play to let the tape continue.  
  


Five raises her eyebrows at how close the actor sounds to Sam, leaning down to refill her wine. Not-Sam laughs. "-As you know, I’ve been drawn to a life of crime for many years now. I am, after all, a cunning and ruthless person of immigrant extraction, although–"   
  


She damn near drops her glass. There are various other noises of outrage from around the room.   
  


"No, Viv, I don’t think it’s overwritten. In fact, I wrote it myself. Keep it playing."  
  


"It's overwritten and _racist_!" Maxine contradicts, angrily.   
  


"Thought I left those behind in the old world," Five says,but she's distracted when Radio Sam mentions someone else.   
  


"Jody, Runner Four, are you receiving me?"  
  


"I’m ready for whatever you want me to do," Radio-Jody giggles, seductively. The real Jody gags.  
  


"Oh, you naughty girl. Love your eyepatch," Jody throws up her hands.  
  


"I don't even have an eyepatch!" She exclaims over the next bit- something about Sam and a goatee?   
  


"- an obscure reference to the kind of cultish television show I enjoyed. You’ve completed your mission, Jody? Do you have to lead those zombies towards a civilian compound?"   
  


"I would _never_!" Jody insists, already near tears from the sheer suggestion. Maxine reaches back to pat her legs.   
  


"We know you wouldn't, Clover," She placates.   
  


"Miss Marsh, if you giggled that much in real life I would have kicked you out of Abel well before this point," Janine says. "Or at least taken you off the running roster."  
  


"That's fair," Jody replies. "I think it would have given me away to the zombs before you had the chance, though."   
  


"You are a bad girl," Radio-Sam growls. Jody gags. "Now, let me tell you a secret, Runner Four, just between you and me. I have another name and another role. Yes, when I was at university, I was known not as Sam, but Jerry. And you know why that is, don’t you, Jody? It’s because the leader of Netrophil is always called Jerry." Another round of laughter from the peanut gallery. "Yes, I was the mastermind of the pre-apocalypse terrorist group. And since the zombie plague, I’ve teamed up with an old ally of mine."   
  


"Who could that be, listeners? What ally could this so-called Sam Yao be referring to? We’ll find out after your next calisthenics break."  
  


Everyone looks at Sam, who shrugs.   
  


"No, Viv, obviously I haven’t found any evidence that Sam Yao was ever called Jerry," Ian's voice says, irritated. "Don’t you know anything about how the press works? And it has to be broad, that’s what people want! And sex sells, Viv. This is how you get people interested in your story. Just do a cut here."   
  


"I'll do a cut someplace," Tom says. Another round of toasts goes up.   
  


The track continues, heedless of their commentary. "Welcome back, listeners! And I hope you enjoyed a brisk stroll to the tunes we’re “laying down,” as the young people say." Five rolls her eyes.   
  


"This guy's in his mid-thirties!" Maxine says. "He's our age at best, Paula, what on Earth is he talking about, 'young people?'"   
  


Paula, holding a sleeping Sarah, shrugs.   
  


"Now, before the break, we heard a little about the life of Sam Yao, the treacherous operator of the conspiratorial collective known as Abel Township."   
  


"Bless you," Five signs.   
  


"Sam Yao has been confirmed as still alive and extremely dangerous, but luckily for us, some of the violent and terrifying individuals have already been brought to summary justice by loyal members of the Minister’s own private staff."   
  


"Like your MOM," Five says. She may be slightly drunk.   
  


"And for this segment, we’ve got a treat in store. Some words from a person who knew one villainous traitor very well: ministry employee Amelia Spens."  
  


Jody makes a fart noise. She might also be slightly drunk.   
  


"Oh yes, I was terrified of Janine De Luca."  
  


"Well, yeah," Sam says, frankly. "If you're _not_ scared of Janine she's not doing her job right." Five nods.   
  


"I've never been scared of Janine," Peter says, looking slightly puppy-eyed at Janine from what's normally Sam's seat. She flushes.   
  


"-eyepatch and those skintight leather catsuits, using a whip on anyone who stepped out of line. … Wait, was that a dream I had? Oh, we can cut that bit out, can’t we?"   
  


Janine flushes even _further_ , and everyone- pauses, unsure whether to laugh or not.   
  


"To be fair to Janine, I think she was just trying to maintain law and order. Abel wasn’t all bad,"  
  


"Abel was the _best_ ," Maxine says, longingly.   
  


"-but… well, I realized shortly after I got there that all human decency had gone out the window, as it sometimes does in communities after the apocalypse. I tried to hold back some of her worst excesses."   
  


"Common decency went out the window?!" Jody scoffs. "Oh, whatever!"   
  


"Tear this township apart until you’ve found those documents, and bring me the prisoners! I want them alive!" A whip cracks, underlining fake-Janine's words. Five very carefully sets her glass down. Sam sweeps his thumb across her calf, very slowly and deliberately.   
  


"Why does Janine sound like a dragon?" Maxine asks.   
  


"Where'd she get a whip?" Paula counters.   
  


"Please, Lord – uh, Colonel De Luca, some of them are children,"   
  


"I've heard better acting in pornos," Peter mutters darkly. Five hiccups a laugh.   
 

The playful mood from earlier is- almost gone. It was one thing to mock and slander them with actors who were accusing them of the ridiculous, but this is- something else entirely.   
  


"I don’t want to paint this as worse than it was," Amelia says. "She really did maintain discipline. There was very little strangulation."  
  


"There was none at all!" Janine exclaims. Tom pats her on the shoulder consolingly.  
  


"Miss Spens is too kind!" They all laugh at that. "Janine De Luca was the mastermind behind the plan to discredit the Minister by painting her as the architect of the zombie plague. For we know now that it was De Luca herself who combined mad science with her sick fantasies to unleash the hell on earth we’re living through today."  
  


"I don't even know enough science too-" Janine cuts herself off and sits back in her chair, frustrated.   
  


They pause for a second, to let Max and Paula take Sarah to bed, and to take a bathroom break. They've claimed one room for themselves, everyone but Peter, who's housed further away, with more of the general populace.   
  


As they resettle, Five resettles herself to face forwards, tucked securely under Sam's arm. Janine waves a hand to signal Paul to restart the recording.   
  


Five mimes talking as Ian opens his next segment, hand falling away as... whoever _that_ is, pretends to be Phil and Zoe.   
  


The flat "Hel _lo_ , citizens," makes Sam snort, at least, but recoils from "Zoe's" suggestive tone; not only from the false suggestion that they planted the evidence of Sigrid's treachery, but also Zoe's mention of her "small, furry animal."   
  


"What do you mean, what has she done to it?" Sam demands, waving the arm draped around Jody's knees. Jody, who's dozing against the arm of the couch, snickers at the soap opera-esque "I love you- no, I hate you!" routine, but laughs harder when Jack and Eugene are mentioned.   
  


"Jack and Eugene," She giggles, "With Phil and Zoe?!" And then she bursts into another round of giggles.   
  


"No Viv, I don't think it's unrealistic!" Ian exclaims. "I think it's good drama!"  
  


"You wouldn't know a good drama if it screwed your mother," Maxine mutters into her wine.   
  


Five chokes on a laugh. "That's exactly what they're like!" Ian continues to insist, over the radio.   
  


"Were we even _listening_ to the same show?" Peter asks curiously as if Ian can actually hear them.   
  


"I don't think Ian's living on the same _planet_ anymore, to be honest," Sam points out. Everyone hums in agreement. 

\---

"The minister has given me this documentary to make, not you, Viv," Ian snaps. "Because she had to admit that Runner Five and Sam Yao were alive after that botched attack on Abel, so it’s time to make sure everyone knows the truth about them."  
  


"Truth," Five parrots, irritated.   
  


"So I’ll thank you to keep your views to yourself."   
  


"Oh, trouble in paradise, Ian?" Max offers.  
  


They all sit up straighter when he mentions Ronnie, paying closer attention. Five wishes for knitting, or that anyone bothered to keep their hair long anymore. Anything to keep her hands busy. "Rolling," Ian says.   
  


"Plucky Veronica McShell-"   
  


"Has anyone been plucky since like, the 80's?" Jody asks.  
  


"-and her work brings us ever closer to a cure for the plague. I asked her what she made of Abel’s lesbian doctors, Doctor Paula Cohen, and Doctor Maxine Myers."  
  


"Oh good, racist and homophobic," Paula says, taking a deep draw of her wine. "I was wondering if we would touch on this."   
  


"I don't see why you keep bringing in sexuality, Mister Golightly," Five relaxes slightly when she hears Veronica's voice and raises her glass in solidarity. "And things being sexy isn’t necessarily evil, you know? _Do_ you know?"  
  


"You tell 'im, Ronnie!" Jody cheers. Another quick toast goes round.  
  


"So? Carry on about the doctors," Ian prompts.   
  


"Oh, yes. Doctor Cohen and Doctor Myers were good, clever, and helpful. I’m sorry… I’m sorry Doctor Myers is dead."  
  


Max makes a noise in the back of her throat, unsure what she should feel at the genuine sadness in Veronica's tone. Paula puts her arm around her, pressing a kiss to the side of Max's head.   
  


There's a stunned silence as everyone picks up what Ian is implying- no one knows quite what to say. Max shifts, minutely, and says, "I might be sick."   
  


"Um, no," Veronica shoots the implication down immediately. "We worked on a titration system at one point, which got a bit uncomfortable."  
  


"Oh, yes? Uncomfortable how?" Ian asks, eagerly.   
  


Ian's hopes are dashed when Veronica pragmatically says she was only uncomfortable because her hand fell asleep holding up some piping. Five remembers putting that damn thing together.   
  


"I think they weren’t happy that I wanted to take some of their baby’s blood to run tests for the Minister."  
  


"I wonder _why_ ," Maxine snaps.   
  


"I wouldn’t have taken a lot of blood, though, or other tissue samples." Veronica defends, hastily. "Anyway, I’ve got it all, now. We’re getting some very interesting results. Sigrid – that is, the Minister – is very pleased."   
  


"What _other tissue samples_?" Sam asks, aghast. Five shakes her head.   
  


"Not worth thinking about," she says.   
  


"God," Ian scoffs. "Do you think we can salvage anything out of all that? Maybe we could piece together the bit where she says the names, and-"  
  


Veronica's voice comes back, stuttering: "Doctor Cohen and Doctor Myers were – a bit uncomfortable. – I’m sorry… I’m sorry…"   
  


Jody surges up, making Sam flinch. "Oh, what utter shite!" She snaps. "Who could ever believe that?"   
  


Ian cheers. "Aw, fantastic! Viv, you’re a miracle worker! Then, I can just say, Veronica McShell there, overcome with emotion. I think we can all read between the lines, listeners. We’ll be back after this calisthenic routine!"   
  


"I think _I'm_ going to be sick," Peter mutters, eyeing the radio with distrust. "We're almost done, chaps. King Jamie next, and what you're going to hear isn't... pleasant."   
  


"Nothing has been pleasant since we were run out of Abel," Janine snaps. "Roll the tape."   
  


"Alright, alright, nearly there. We’ll just put together a rough cut from these tapes and send it to the Minister for an okay, alright, Viv? I think it’s going to be a smash!" Ian continues, to the boos and hisses of Five's family, but everyone pauses as Ian puts on his "radio voice" once more.   
  


"We’re almost finished for today, listeners, although there’s so much more we could tell you. But we wanted to leave you with some words you can trust from the most trustworthy man in Britain-"  
  


"Weird to sing Sam's praises now, isn't it?" Five signs to Jody. Sam flushes, and Jody throws her head back to laugh.   
  


"-He’s a man who spent time living at Abel Township and working alongside them," Ian continues. "They fooled him for a long time. They could fool any of us! But now, he’s broken free, and he’s willing to tell us his story. He is our king, King Jamie the First of the United Kingdom."   
  


Jody whoops, and everyone toasts.   
  


"I’m not reading this," Jamie snaps.   
  


"For goodness’ sake, you can read the first line," Ian insists, exasperated.   
  


Jamie reads from the prepared script, irritated and trying to fight Ian as much as he can. “I was taken in by Abel Township, as so many of us were. There’s no need to feel shame about being deceived. They were clever psychopaths who-" He pauses, taking a deep breath. "No. I’m not saying it."  
  


"Viv, can you just leave me and King Jamie alone for a minute? Go outside, have a fag break- or get some exercise," Ian says, coaxingly. "Put some music on your headphones, quite loud. We’ll just be a sec," He threatens.   
  


The audio cuts out, leaving the room in silence for a few moments. "We have to get him out of there," Sam says, quietly.   
  


"But how?" Jodie asks.   
  


"We'll think of something," Janine says. She put down her glass ages ago and is now staring, pensive, at her hands.   
  


The audio picks back up, Ian breaking up the solemn silence with a cheery "Alright then, we can start rolling again," Five hisses, like a cat. "Now, Jamie, where were you?" He prompts.   
  


"I’ll do whatever you want," Jamie begs, tearfully. "Just don’t hurt her again, please!"   
  


"Who's 'her'?" Paula asks. "We might need to get them out of the Ministry's _care_ as well."   
  


Janine nods, slowly, as if weighing all options.   
  


"That’s right. It’s only a few little words, isn’t it?" Ian croons, coaxing. "A few little words never hurt anyone. That’s what we always said on the daily exposé."  
  


"These words are hurting all of us!" Jody exclaims. Five pours herself another glass of wine and chugs about half of it, only to re-pour. She is not drunk enough.  
  


"You won’t get away with this forever!" Jaime exclaims. "You can’t!"   
  


"Just read the line."  
  


Jamie sounds like either he's been crying or he's about to start. “I was betrayed by Abel Township. I was used by them. I didn’t understand what I was doing. I now know that they were the ones who started the-” He cuts off, and Five can see him shaking his head. "No. No! I can’t say that they started the zombie apocalypse. It’s just not true!"  
  


"I’m afraid you already have, Your Majesty." Five wants to punch Ian in his smug fucking _face_ , but she smothers her face in her hands instead.   
  


"What? What do you mean?"  
  


"You just said the exact thing he wanted!" Peter exclaims, exasperated and- worried? Not that the worry is unwarranted- Five is _very_ worried, but Peter doesn't know Jamie, besides in a vague, celebrity-type way.   
  


"And that’s a wrap. You can work some magic with that, can’t you, Viv? Of course, you can. Oh, we need a little tail on it. Right, how about-" Ian prattles.   
  


As he wraps up, Five leans forward and wraps her arms around Max, pressing her forehead onto the back of her friend's head. Max freezes for a second but reaches up to pat Five lovingly on the arm before gently pushing her to Paula.   
  


Paula does the same but instead pushes Five back up into a sitting position. Five goes without complaint, wrapping her arms around her knees instead, one hand coming up to hold onto Sam. Paula stands with the help of the couch and then offers a hand up to Maxine, who takes it and stands with a grunt.   
  


Jody snuggles deeper into the couch, and waking her is going to _suck_ , but Five just stands as well, crossing to Janine and putting a hand on her shoulder. She doesn't say anything, not yet, just takes a second.

Janine- stiffens, for a moment, before wrapping a hand over Five's. "We will get him." Janine states, firm. "And we will get Abel back."  
  


Five nods, feeling- tired. The night started out fun, but not drinking for 6 years has made them all lightweights, and Five is what used to pass for comfortably drunk only one bottle in.   
  


Everyone disperses, slipping out of the room in sleepy, awkward shuffles. Five rouses Jody, holding her up and steering them both toward the set of bunks that they've chosen.   
  


Five and Jodie share a set of bunks, Five on bottom and Jodie on top, so Five just rolls her friend into her bed, making sure she's completely covered and leaving a water bottle next to the bed.   
  


She looks up at Jodie's bunk for a second, but then moves to Sarah's crib, set up in the corner in between the Meyer-Cohen-Yaos and the wall.   
  


She's not the only one watching Sarah- Sam sits on the edge of his bunk (the bottom one), and watches Sarah's chest rise and fall under the blanket Jodie knitted for her.   
  


The room is quiet, only other people's breathing and the shuffle of blankets- from the other side of the room, Jodie mumbles as she rolls over, words intelligible from a distance.   
  


Eventually, Sam and Five settle down to sleep, wordlessly. 

\----

The next morning Five wakes when Sam slips out of the bed, startling her into sitting up. 

  
No one else but Janine is awake (if Janine even went to bed), and when Five glances at the clock above the door it says it's damn near 6 am. Five groans, but shoves the covers off.

  
"Sorry, Five," Sam whispers, eyes wide in the early-morning gloom. "Janine and I need to get things ready for today's op, on top of making sure that everything is running smoothly around the base."

  
Five shrugs, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and offering a hand to Sam, who pulls her to standing.   
  


It puts them in each other's spaces, and Five leans in to kiss him, there in the quiet of the morning before anyone's awake.  
  


Sarah coos from her crib, forcing them to separate. She's rolled over onto her belly, looking up at them with wide, dark eyes. Five smiles at her automatically, stepping forward to pick her up. 

The three of them head for the canteen, content to let everyone else sleep. Janine stops them in the hall, as awake as ever. "Ah, Mr. Yao. Runner 5, good." Sara coos, chubby arms waving for Janine. "And a good morning to you too, Baby Sara," Janine says with a smile. "Meet me in the maps room at 0630, Mr. Yao," Janine orders. Sam nods. "Five, you and Runner 4 will be running this mission today. I expect you both by the lifts by 0700." Five nods.   


  
After breakfast - oatmeal and canned fruit for Sam and Five, pureed apples for Sara- Sam kisses them both and heads for the maps room with Janine. Five tries futilely to clean up Sara, and when she's gotten her decently clean, heads back to the dorm to leave Sara in Paula's capable hands and to rouse Jody. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll add episode nine on here when it stops fighting me tooth and nail y'all


End file.
